A rapidly growing trend is underway to incorporate Internet connectivity within all home electronics. In fact, Internet connectivity is already available for a plethora of “Internet of Thing” (“IoT”) devices including, but not limited to, televisions, printers, home security cameras, motion detectors, home alarm systems, thermostats, light bulbs, and even appliances (not to mention home computers, tablets, and smart phones). The cybersecurity industry has not successfully developed a highly secure yet easy-to-use security methodology for individual computers. Now, with an innumerable number of home electronics coming online, the security issues appear to become exponentially more complex with each and every new device added. However, such exponential complexity only applies to prior security methodologies.
Some smart televisions contain built-in cameras and microphones. Hackers have been able to use these components to spy on people, watching or recording everything they do in front of the television and listening to or recording everything they say. Criminals have hacked into home motion detectors to determine living patterns. They have used this information to determine when homes are usually empty and then to plan their burglaries using this information. Criminals can also hack alarm systems, temporarily shutting them down and even altering their logs to conceal the temporary shutdown. Such methods allow burglars to enter, burglarize, and exit—all without a trace.
Unfortunately, getting products to market has been a much higher priority for manufacturers than providing robust security. The security of Internet-based electronics is often an afterthought—including the Internet security of security products themselves (e.g., alarm systems, security cameras, etc.). Moreover, should manufacturers begin to take security more seriously, each product would then have its own unique security mechanism which would add a significant burden to the consumer both from the perspective of learning to operate the device and its security functions as well as due to the added cost of incorporating such security measures, which manufacturers invariably would pass on to consumers.
A need exists for securing Internet-enabled consumer devices in the developing and rapidly expanding Internet of Things while maintaining the ease of use and configuration of such devices for consumers who use them.